


Bloodswept Borders

by RedlaSunShowers029



Category: Kuinaki Sentaku | No Regrets, Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan, Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: (that'll make sense later), Alternate Universe - Dark, Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Giant/Tiny, M/M, Mentor/apprentice relationships, Mild Furry content, Mild mentions of fatal vore, Multi, Other, Predator/Prey relationships, Semi-Villain!Isabel, eventual vore, steven universe vore
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-30
Updated: 2015-11-30
Packaged: 2018-05-04 04:29:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5320478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedlaSunShowers029/pseuds/RedlaSunShowers029
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When the pair find themselves trapped inside an arena with various vicious beasts, Armin and Farlan have to work together to survive. Combatting the beast that brought them to the place, they soon discover that the world is a lot more sparse - and more dangerous - than either could imagine. Though the real problem doesn't come until they find out about the beast they're stuck with... And it's hungry as ever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bloodswept Borders

**Author's Note:**

> Collaboration with a fantastic writer and good buddy of mine. We've been trying to decide on a story to work on, and this was our pick, as it combined both our main fandoms into the same story.
> 
> We hope it's enjoyable!
> 
> Edit: Trenchcoat_Kid has left the project!

The stormy night rumbled ahead, as the blonde attempted to situate himself in his bed. It wasn't anything spectacular that he had around here, though it was enough for him to _usually_ be alright, though something was bothering him: the next night would be the Ceremony, to which a few names would be chosen to serve in the Arena. Those who were forced into the Arena never made it out alive; run by corrupt monarchs and nobles, it’s primary purpose was to maintain the population by sending innocents to their deaths, often at the mercy of whatever beasts slunk within the shadows of the wretched place. Sickening tales had arrived from there one too many times, denoting it as a hell on earth with a demon guarding the entrance... It was better just not to think about it.

The man grunted and rolled over on his back, letting a small puff of breath out into the chilly air. The cave of a house they normally lived in wasn't the best in terms of heating, and it wasn't uncommon for him to settle down with his apprentice when things got really uncomfortable. But this night? He wanted to give the little guy his best shot before the picking, just in case he was the chosen "prey." Besides, it was about time Armin had some space - he acknowledged to himself that he could be a little clingy to him on occasion... Better to ease that up while he could.

Though how was he doing? He could never seem to tell with his little apprentice.

Armin sat in the corner, a decent-sized suitcase sitting at the foot of his small bed. There wasn't a light in sight outside his room, though he knew where everything was. The little lamp full of bioluminescent organisms they'd stumbled across lay next to him on his bed, and barely provided enough light for him to see his book.

This day would be the day before he was chosen - he was sure of it. And that's why he'd prepared for it so diligently. How else could he stand a chance in the Arena, after all? He'd be mincemeat in an instant - Farlan hadn't taken any time to let him warm up to that; not as though the inventor was wrong in telling him.

Though thinking statistically, well... If no one had survived that place, then why should he be the exception? He'd fought things with his mentor, though never had he known what could lie so far beyond that area, in the Arena... He just hoped his stuff was enough to tide him over out there - if he ever made it that far. Better to think of other things and quit worrying himself, just as his comrade had told him.

Not as if he had any grounds to say it, Armin couldn't help but think bitterly. He daren't say it, though there would come times in his life to which the blonde couldn't quite understand his mentor’s constant fear; the way he always carried a decently-sized knife in his back pocket always made Armin uneasy. There was a difference between them there - if he would've stopped worrying, they'd still be alright, wouldn't they?

Grumbling quietly to himself, Armin drew his attention back to the book he was reading - something about the various creatures that lived in the Arena. There was something ferret-like yet humanoid in front of him, yet he couldn't quite get the caption against his small lamp. It was some sort of monster in the forest, it looked like, with a gorgeous pelt of fur around its shoulders, extending all the way to the back. The underside looked bare, though there was something, something strange about this...

Armin raised a brow and held his lamp closer to the page. There was something written there. They were known for luring... Luring people to their... To their what? The page was smudged, as though the ink had run and bled over it. And then all at once the complete confusion took over as the light grew even brighter beside him...

Rustling could be heard from the side of his bed, and then some sort of animalistic grunting. He could see the faint trails of a snowy white pelt, marked with little sky blue markings that glimmered much like his lamp. They shone brightly over top of a crimson snout, and he watched somewhat nervously as the thing pressed its paws up on his bed.

"Ah..."

Armin shot back, looking on in an indescribable concoction of awe and horror. A pair of sky blue eyes not unlike his own peered over at him, and he could see those crimson ears twitch with a sort of similar wonder. Looking over a bit more, the creature had a sort of glow in its lighter eyes, sweeping a paw over to the book in his lap.

The blonde quickly grabbed the creature's paw, listening nervously as it bit back a small snarl. It was obvious just by demeanor that such a thing could be fierce, if not deadly to some degree. He knew better than to mess with the wildlife, though if it wanted this particular book, well... It'd need to work a bit harder at it.

"Go on - shoo! There are plenty of other things you can take, but this is important to me."

The creature didn't seem to understand, cocking its head before trying to free its paw-like hand. A few choice growls escaped its jaws before it managed to pull away. The strange thing had all its fur puffed up, lunging for a moment and managing to take the book from his lap. Tucking it under a foreleg, the little creature turned to leave, ducking underneath a shelf and through a hole in the wall.

Armin wasted no time. Sighing some to himself, the blonde picked up his suitcase, slid on the most comfortable shoes he had, and went after the creature. It wasn't a hard feat to pull off in terms of following the strange beast, for the pelt around their shoulders glowed brilliantly around the room. Though he had worse things to worry about for sure, for the only time he'd manage to get to it would surely mean waking his mentor. Oh, if only he could manage to reach a little further, to sneak by a little better...

The creature seemed to have no qualms making a racket at all, chirring and hooting to itself as it ran off with its prize. The scratching of its feet - was it wearing shoes? Armin would've sworn he'd seen some sticking out from under the creature's pelt - seemed to be enough, if not for those shrill noises. As he crept past his mentor (his room was right beside and conjoined with the other so it wasn't hard to get there), he could already hear him mumbling in that perplexed manner right before he woke up.

He would have little time to get past - Armin knew that. So he tried to go quietly, until he met those eyes of a similar color to his own staring down at him.

"Armin? What's up, buddy?"

The younger blonde gritted his teeth, freezing for a moment before he continued creeping onwards.

"Some pest stole my books is all," Armin murmured in return. "Farlan, you don't need to worry too much about it. I've got this covered."

The older man yawned, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

"We've been forced to move much too close to the Arena by those damned higher ranks - I wouldn't be surprised if anywhere out there is marked for transport to that very place."

Armin watched as he pulled the covers away, stretching and standing up a little. 

"Come on, then - I'll go with you."

There was no point I'm arguing at this point - the teen knew well enough his mentor wasn't going to back off and let him simply deal with this on his own. He appreciated it and felt a pang of annoyance at it all the same; he'd always enjoyed Farlan's company, though sometimes it almost seemed as though he was trying a bit too hard to keep him safe and protected.

"Alright, then. I think I lost it on the edge of the room..."

One look around proved him wrong, however. The strange thing was looking around with all uncertainty in its eyes, seemingly reading every bit of dialogue with a curiously turned head.

"There. Its pelt is glowing... See?" Armin's finger pointed in her direction, watching with fascination as the thing didn't budge. "I might be able to just get it myself..."

He walked over a bit, though the creature seemed to have other plans. It seemed that the book was almost within his reach, until a pair of strange paw-like hands lashed out, putting small cuts on his hand. The ferret creature ducked back, and for once he could see those paws take off and run towards the mouth of their cave - the only shelter they had.

And Armin took off after it.

Even with his luggage and a hand searing with the pain from the scratches, he couldn't bear to lose it, to let it out of his sight. He was determined to keep up with it, and even more to get that thing and figure out what it was. When he thought about it, it looked awfully like the thing in his book - though what on earth was it?

 _Luring people to... Luring people to their..._ If only he'd seen the last bit, been able to read through the smudged ink. He never wanted to do anything else with it, and most certainly didn't want to meet whatever fate it held for him. 

The more he debated it and ran with heavy breaths, the more it _seemed_ to be trying to lure him someplace; he couldn't outrun a thing, though it was quite peculiar how this particular thing seemed to match up with his pace. It'd let him get close, shake that strange, long tail (the color of which was equally, if not more bizarre, considering the rest of its fur) and then dart off only a little outside his reach. How it was doing it, or why he couldn't tell, though he had a bad feeling about this.

"Armin - watch where you're going, kid!"

He'd met an incline, and before he could do anything about it he was being forced down it. The moment he'd gotten far enough down it, gravity did the trick well enough, and he couldn't do a thing to stop himself. The moment he tried was the moment he tumbled, catching the creature by the tail.

He heard a small squeak, a thump, and then felt the claws of the thing that briefly let itself be looked over. Some skin, sparse of any kind of fur, looking almost human caught his eye, before the whole tumble met an end at the bottom.

He barely caught sight of the creature amongst the stuff he'd packed - he was lucky that only a few of his things seemed to have spilled out - before it began to make its way past him. For a moment it limped, then gave a sort of huff and reached out. Armin grabbed the book before it could, and tugged it away before he could manage to do anything else. He was still weak, though he could get himself up nevertheless.

After a couple tugs and a decision the kid wasn't about to give in, the creature grumbled angrily, looking around what'd been spilled. They decided to take a can of sardines that'd gotten out of his suitcase the fray, stuffed it halfway into their mouth, and scampered off. 

Armin could barely stand now, though he didn't seem to have to, for a moment later he heard calm footsteps and a hand brush against his shoulder.

"Try to be a little more careful next time. You can only make so many mistakes like that in the wild."

Armin took his mentor's hand, feeling the weight of his knees become far greater. He was used to this sort of thing in terms of injuries, though the fear began to envelope him as he realized he didn't recognize anything there.

"Do you have any idea where we are, now?"

The look in his mentor's eyes made Armin flinch. He wasn't unaccustomed to seeing anxiety in Farlan's eyes, though this was much, much worse. He looked right about ready to panic, though kept it under the surface the best he could - not as though it worked with someone who knew him well as Armin.

It didn’t take long for the younger blonde to notice massive, towering gates, in all their glory, closing shut behind them. While they'd accommodated room for the two of them; plus that awful creature from before; it seemed they'd been a little less lucky once they'd gotten there.

Farlan left him to stand by himself for a few moments, walking over to the iron gates and pulling on them.

"Alright, now, let's just get back-"

The gates wouldn't budge. They stood still as statues, indifferent to Farlan's attempts to get them out.

The older man's heart skipped a beat.

"Now, that's very interesting, though there has to be some sort of mistake."

Another hit. Nothing.

"We can't possibly be-"

A tug on the bars yielded none of his struggles.

"Trapped in here..."

At this point, he was pounding and pulling on the bars with all his might. There was a small sort of yank backwards, though there wasn't quite enough to let them through. He was running out of breath quickly, and his energy was depleting quickly. The truth sank in quickly enough:

Inside the bars, there was no place they could hide. They couldn't get out, and what's worse there was rustling in the area. He'd gone over maps of the place many times with Armin, and he knew exactly where this was - right at one of the many entrances to the Arena.

His eyes widening with utter horror, it was taking all his energy not to scream or cry out. The throbbing worsened, and he knew the moment his mind took to panic they'd be in even worse trouble than without. Farlan looked back over, that same horrific pulsing sensation taking him over, and murmured the only consolation he had:

"Well, Armin, it's a good thing you brought your stuff."

Armin seemed to have the same kind of fears.

"Are we..."

Farlan gave another bang on the gates with fist, heaving a defeated sigh.

"This damned thing won't open."

The teen's heart dropped, gritting his teeth to stop tears from forming. It was all his fault... If he hadn't run after the stupid book in the first place...

"If we're lucky, they'll let us out of here, right? We could stay here, and they'd know it's a mistake-"

Farlan shook his head.

"Things don't work like that out here. No one gets out of here, so why should we be any different?" The man settled himself down, doing his best just to keep himself sane enough to speak.

"We'll be lucky if some beast doesn't snatch us up by morning."


End file.
